by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. This list highlights 20 institutions that stand out for their student bodies in South Dakota, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic origin, gender balance, and age range. So you can compare your options, College Factual reviewed 20 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Your ideal mix depends on what matters most to you. Narrow your list by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? Check out College Combat to weigh schools on the factors you care about most.
Learn more about these diverse colleges below:
California Intercontinental University earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in South Dakota. The school's overall diversity score is 75.4 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 76.7, alongside a 99.5 gender-diversity score.
Mount Marty University earned the #2 place in South Dakota. It scores 71.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 45.4, alongside a 99.8 gender-diversity score.
You'll find a welcoming community at Dakota State University, which ranked #3 this year. The school's overall diversity score is 68.2 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 41.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.7.
You'll find a welcoming community at University of South Dakota, which ranked #4 this year. The school's overall diversity score is 66.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 42.5, with a gender-diversity score of 94.8.
Western Dakota Technical College came in at #5 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in South Dakota. It scores 66.7 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 41.0, with a gender-diversity score of 99.1.
Black Hills State University landed the #6 spot in South Dakota this year. On overall diversity, it scores 66.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 45.1, alongside a 94.5 gender-diversity score.
University of Sioux Falls came in at #7 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 65.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 40.6, alongside a 98.0 gender-diversity score.
Dakota Wesleyan University placed #8 among the most diverse colleges in South Dakota. It scores 64.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 33.9, alongside a 98.7 gender-diversity score.
Northern State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. It scores 63.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 31.2, and gender diversity 95.0.
Southeast Technical College earned the #10 position in South Dakota. Southeast Technical College scores 62.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 42.5, alongside a 98.6 gender-diversity score.
Augustana University placed #11 among the most diverse colleges in South Dakota. On overall diversity, it scores 62.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 54.6, and gender diversity 96.0.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology came in at #12 in this year's ranking. It scores 62.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 43.6, and gender diversity 83.4.
Sisseton Wahpeton College earned the #13 position in South Dakota. Sisseton Wahpeton College scores 61.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 26.9, and gender diversity 93.3.
South Dakota State University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. South Dakota State University scores 59.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 36.9, and gender diversity 98.5.
Mitchell Technical College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. On overall diversity, it scores 58.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 25.6, alongside a 94.2 gender-diversity score.
Oglala Lakota College landed the #16 spot in South Dakota this year. The school's overall diversity score is 57.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 11.8, and gender diversity 87.6.
Lake Area Technical College placed #17 among the most diverse colleges in South Dakota. On overall diversity, it scores 57.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 21.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.8.
Sinte Gleska University ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. On overall diversity, it scores 50.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 22.0, and gender diversity 79.5.
Black Hills Beauty College landed the #19 spot in South Dakota this year. It scores 42.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 45.0, with a gender-diversity score of 13.7.
Stewart School came in at #20 in this year's ranking. On overall diversity, it scores 38.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 42.6, with a gender-diversity score of 7.6.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic representation, gender balance, and age range. The racial-ethnic minorities percentage is calculated by taking the total number of students, subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity is unknown, and dividing by total enrollment.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
